Cost of Living in Phoenix

Summary of cost of living in Phoenix, AZ, United States:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $ 14.00-30.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 80.00 $ 45.00-120.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 9.00-12.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 5.50 $ 3.50-8.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 6.00 $ 5.00-9.00
Cappuccino (regular) 5.24 $ 4.00-6.67
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.53 $ 1.50-4.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.02 $ 1.00-3.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.52 $ 2.39-4.99
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.39 $ 1.50-6.00
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.83 $ 0.88-3.00
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.77 $ 2.19-6.95
Local Cheese (1 lb) 4.63 $ 2.69-10.00
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 4.37 $ 2.50-8.00
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 5.90 $ 3.62-10.00
Apples (1 lb) 2.02 $ 0.99-4.00
Banana (1 lb) 0.66 $ 0.58-1.59
Oranges (1 lb) 1.73 $ 0.50-3.50
Tomato (1 lb) 1.85 $ 0.99-3.00
Potato (1 lb) 1.27 $ 0.50-2.50
Onion (1 lb) 1.20 $ 0.85-2.20
Lettuce (1 head) 1.82 $ 1.20-3.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.39 $ 1.49-3.29
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 12.50 $ 8.00-21.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.13 $ 1.73-3.93
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.72 $ 1.50-7.50
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 9.00 $ 7.95-12.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.00 $ 2.00-4.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 64.00 $ 30.00-64.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 2.75 $ 2.75-4.99
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.20 $ 2.20-3.00
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 36.00 $ 36.00-36.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.16 $ 3.17-4.99
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 30,000.00 $ 26,000.00-36,113.30
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,195.23 $ 24,000.00-31,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 241.80 $ 130.00-350.00
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 69.95 $ 43.00-150.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 73.12 $ 50.00-140.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 26.62 $ 10.00-45.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 19.33 $ 8.00-35.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 12.75 $ 9.00-18.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 983.33 $ 700.00-1,200.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 10,400.00 $ 6,000.00-16,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 46.67 $ 23.00-75.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 39.44 $ 25.00-50.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 86.67 $ 50.00-125.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 110.68 $ 50.00-175.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,576.63 $ 1,400.00-2,100.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,384.52 $ 1,200.00-1,750.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,638.05 $ 2,200.00-3,500.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,272.67 $ 1,785.00-3,200.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 319.48 $ 200.00-425.00
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 268.51 $ 230.00-375.00
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,656.25 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.53 6.00-7.00

Prices in Phoenix, Arizona

This city had 1079 entries in the past 12 months by 145 different contributors.
Last update: March 2024
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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2 Comments so far
Anonymous on May 03, 2022:
Stop moving here. Homelessness is up 35%.... see article for reference:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arizona/articles/2022-03-14/homelessness-jumps-35-in-2-years-in-biggest-arizona-county#:~:text=Authorities%20say%20an%20official%20count,caused%20by%20the%20coronavirus%20pandemic.

Californians are killing us here in AZ. We can't afford to live anymore and we have spent our whole lives here. It is not fair.
Writer and Photographer on Mar 08, 2021:
The Phoenix metro area has one of the hottest real estate markets in the country currently. That may be appropriate since it also has some of the hottest summers in the country as well. For people moving to "the Valley," it is good to know that some areas include a "premium" on home prices because of the address; Scottsdale is an example.

The cost of living is fairly manageable, with property taxes rising, but still lower than many states. The winter months are very nice and you can expect good weather from late November through April. When you hear someone remark about Arizona having a "dry heat," please ignore the comment. When it is 112 or 116 degrees out; it is hot; very hot. We also have a monsoon season which can add humidity and heavy rain. Northern Arizona is much different with cooler temperatures in places like Flagstaff, which also gets a lot of snow during the winter months. Arizona is a state of extremes in that regard.

Back in the 90s, the local newspaper did a cover story about the fact that neighbors here often don't know each other and that people tend to keep to themselves. That is largely true. While the people serving tourists in Arizona's large tourist business tend to be friendlier, the sense of friendliness often found in the south or Midwest is largely missing here. Of course, during the summer months, people tend to stay indoors in air conditioning, so this means that people are not congregating outside during 6 months of the year. This was the case pre-pandemic also.

Most of the costs listed are accurate, although currently, the cost of gas is about $3.05/gallon. Because of the low inventory in the real estate market, home prices have surged and rental rates have gone up as well. Compared to large cities on the east coast, or almost anywhere in California, these housing costs probably still seem low.

Work traffic is very heavy during the morning and afternoon drive-times. Phoenix is surrounded by several "bedroom communities," so these feed to work traffic heading into the city and it creates congestion. Also, Phoenix is largely a service community and many of the jobs are lower-paying customer service positions. There are also some high-tech firms with competitive pay scales.

On the ideological front; Arizona has had the reputation of being the state that Barry Goldwater came from and had been traditionally conservative. That has changed in recent years as election outcomes have illustrated. People fleeing CA, OR and WA have relocated to Arizona because of the lower cost-of-living and lower taxes.

For those who want to escape the know, and have a tolerance for 6 months of blistering heat instead; the Phoenix metro area might be your cup of tea. If you enjoy four seasons and enjoy knowing your neighbors; consider other places.